Fifth of Brits experience anxiety or depression

Nearly a fifth of all people in the UK experience anxiety or depression, new figures show.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that in 2010-11, 19 per cent of people aged 16 and over had some degree of anxiety or depression.

These conditions were more common in women than in men, as well as affecting a disproportionate number of individuals between the ages of 40 and 59 and over the age of 80.

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Divorced people, those without paid work and individuals with health problems faced a slightly above-average risk of anxiety or depression during the 12-month period covered by the report, as did people who lived on their own or acted as live-in carers.

Among respondents who reported considerable restrictions on their daily activities, nearly 41 per cent had symptoms of anxiety or depression.

The ONS figures also suggest that people tend to become less satisfied with their overall health as they get older.

Three-quarters of 16 to 24-year-olds said they were relatively happy with their health in 2010-11, dropping to just over half (53 per cent) of the over-80s.

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